touch
by agingerwithacat
Summary: There are those who are blind, those who are deaf, those who can't smell, those who have destroyed their taste buds well beyond tasting, but no one ever hears about the minority in those five senses- those who cannot feel.
1. touch

There are those who are blind, those who are deaf, those who can't smell, those who have destroyed their taste buds well beyond tasting, but no one ever hears about the minority in those five senses.

Those who can't _feel_.

And Fred Weasley is one of them.

It happened when he was 5. His brother and him were fooling around with magic and a spell George cast at him backfired with terrible consequences. The healers at St. Mungo's were baffled with the results. It seemed that the young boy had lost all ability to feel… anything.

They poked, prodded, pinched and pressed, but Fred responded by shooting them an unimpressed look and asking his mum if they were done yet. It appeared that the only place he could still feel was his mouth.

"How soon?" His mother asked earnestly, when they told her that it should wear off soon.

"It depends. It might take some sort of… this sounds strange, but strong _urge_ to feel from him for it to come back. This injury is magic, and magic can be strange sometimes."

But it never wore off.

No one ever found out about it, and he preferred to keep it that way. His 5th year proved to be his hardest year at keeping his 'disability' quiet. Him and his brother had grown over the summer, and it had shown. He turned down girls almost every week and soon rumours were circulating that maybe… maybe he was gay.

The rumours soon died down and Fred and George left Hogwarts in the middle of their 7th year with an exit sure to be written into the history books. Their business (Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes) grew over the course of two years and by then they had opened up a new branch. Zonko was itching to retire and eagerly let Fred and George buy his Hogsmeade store.

The two were then split, with George in Hogsmeade running their new shop, and Fred in Diagon Alley.

-

It all happened very suddenly. Fred was locking up the shop for the night when someone ran straight into him. The only reason he noticed the impact was because it had caused him to lose his footing slightly. He looked down and who had hit him and snorted.

The girl was a mix of all different sorts of colours. Her hair was a mishmash of reds and oranges, which clashed magnificently with the bright pink and green sweater she was wearing. The only thing that was monochromatic about this girl was her black jeans and shoes.

After snickering for a few moments at the girl's appearance, Fred reached down to help the girl up. She smiled shyly at him to his utter shock.

"Er… S-Sorry. I wasn't really watching where I was going and I--Well I'm sorry." She blathered on. Fred raised an eyebrow.

"It's fine. Are you all right? You seemed like you were in a hurry?" He leaned against the door of his shop. She seemed surprised that he was still talking to her and bit her lip.

"Er… I was trying to…" She stared blankly at him. "I wasn't in a hurry."

Fred aah'ed and reached out his hand.

"Well, I'm Fred Weasley, and you are?" Again, the girl looked completely flabbergasted that he was still talking to her.

"P-Penny. P-Penny… er…" She hesitated. She hated telling people her last name; it was like her parents had thought it was some sick joke.

"Well, Penny Er, it's nice to meet you." Fred said, raising his eyebrow in an amused fashion.

"N-no! That's not my last name! My last name is…" She let out a sigh. "Pompadour." She finally said quietly.

Now, we all know that Fred isn't always the most sensitive when it comes to human beings and… well he burst into laughter. Penny looked unsure of what to do and glanced around at the darkening street as his raucous laughter echoed around her. When he was finished he glanced at her.

"Well, Penny _Pompadour_," at this he paused to let out a little snort, "Would you care to accompany me on a little errand I'm about to run?"

"P-Pardon?" She blinked her round hazel eyes at him. He laughed.

"I asked if you'd like to come with me to…" He looked around for an open shop, his eyes finally resting on Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. "Get some ice cream." He finished, grinning. Penny raised an eyebrow and shot him an incredulous look.

"It's… 7 at night and freezing and… you want to go get ice cream… with me." She said flatly, as if trying to convince herself this was actually happening. "Okay?"

Fred grinned and hooked arms with her like he'd just found his new best friend and bounced off to the shop. When they got in and ordered and sat down, Fred actually got the chance to examine this stray girl he'd wandered into.

Her entire appearance was a direct contradiction to her entire personality, and he briefly wondered if she'd planned it that way. She had violent looking colours smeared on her eyes and her lips were an almost un-natural red. Freckles that she'd tried to unsuccessfully hide poked through the thin layer of foundation she was wearing and as she licked at her ice cream Fred realized that she probably couldn't be older than fourteen.

"Er… Penny. How old are you?" He sat back. Her eyes snapped back to his.

"Eighteen. Why?" She asked softly. Fred let out a whoosh of air.

"Just making sure I wasn't… Well, anyways." He grinned at her.

"Um… Okay?" She went back to staring at the window as she'd been doing previously, which didn't bother Fred much, as he went back to examining his newest discovery.

He finally decided that she wasn't stunning, or pretty, but just cute in a quirky weird sort of way. By that time she'd noticed he was staring and she was staring back. Fred briefly noted that for someone who had come across as timid, she had a killer stare.

"Is something on my face?" She asked blankly.

"Nope."

"Then why are you staring?"

"I need a reason to stare?"

"I…" She stopped short, frowning. "I don't suppose so… But it's making me feel… weird." She fiddled with her hair.

"So, Penny Pompadour. Where did you blow in from? I've never seen you before, did you go to Hogwarts?"

"Me? Uh, no. I was home-schooled by my parents. They didn't like the idea of me going to a school so far away. They're a bit possessive."

"Figured as much, I'm sure I would've remembered your hair. That, and you didn't automatically know I was a Weasley." He laughed.

"… Should I have known that?"

"Only if you'd been to Hogwarts or if your parents worked at the Ministry of Magic."

"Oh, okay."

A silence fell between them with Penny looking around at her surroundings quite frequently. Fred just watched her with an amused look, especially when she caught him staring and looked down quickly, a blush creeping onto her pale cheeks.

"Well, since you asked, I _do_ own that shop!" Fred said enthusiastically.

"You own a shop?" She looked at him in awe, like a little child seeing magic for the first time.

"The one you saw me locking up." He said with a pride that could almost be considered arrogance. She frowned, trying to remember which one.

"That… Wheezes place right? I've walked by that a few times… It's a joke shop right? Wait, how _old_ are you? Not like, really old right?" She propped her chin on both her elbows.

"I'm only 19, actually." Penny's jaw dropped.

"You own a business and you're only 19? How?"

"Well, actually, I own it with my brother…" Fred couldn't help but feel a bit proud of her awe.

"Oh that's so neat!" Her entire face lit up and she nearly let her entire guard down as she began to babble aimlessly about wanting to have her own fashion line as a child but then giving up on that because: "I mean, needles are really… pointy and they hurt." When she'd finished she clapped her hands over her mouth.

"Oh no, I really didn't mean to talk your ear off. I'm sorry, that must've been so boring for you, hearing about my rubbish dreams and whatnot. I-I have to go anyways, it's late and my flat isn't in the greatest of areas plus I have to get up early tomorrow a-and--" She stood up.

Fred stood up with her and raised a bemused eyebrow, grinning down at her (well, she was tiny).

"All right, if you insist, but I insist that you come by my shop tomorrow." He said in a fake upper-crust English accent, which he obviously found to be hilarious. Penny, however, didn't understand and shot him a perplexed look.

"Er… If I have time I don't know." She blurted out. "It was nice meeting you!" She yelled as she dashed out of the shop, stumbling and nearly falling on her shoelace.

"Well, that was interesting…"


	2. sight

To be honest, Fred wasn't at all surprised when Penelope didn't show up the next day. In fact, he would be surprised if she ever showed at all. He wasn't too bothered; people appeared and disappeared in his life on a regular basis.

Still, she had been rather cute.

Which is why a grin appeared on his face when she walked into his shop on a cold but sunny Thursday. People instantly turned to stare at her bizarre attire (today she was wearing a purple dress with green tights, rainbow knee-socks and black boots). She looked around, pretending not to notice the whispers about her outfit when Fred came out of nowhere and startled her. She yelped and nearly fell over from the shock.

"Why do you wear such loud clothing if you don't actually _like_ the attention?" He asked, staring at her outfit.

Penelope shrugged, messing up her hair a bit more. "I don't do it for the attention, I do it 'cause I like the way it looks." She defended.

"So why'd you decide to pop in?"

"You asked me to."

"3 days ago, how do you know that I still- take that and you'll be greeted with a less than desirable surprise when you get home." He snapped at a girl nearby who had stuffed a daydream charm into her purse. She sheepishly put it back and scurried out of the store.

"What do you sell, anyways? Did you make all of this?" She glanced at the shelves lining the shop.

"My brother and I, we did."

"Whoa, you must be fantastic at magic! I'm not too fabulous with it. My parents decided that they could teach me everything at home." She rolled her eyes.

"Well… I don't like to brag, but we are pretty superior when it comes to magic and charms." He polished his knuckles and grinned. "So. Would you like the grand tour?"

Penny bit her lip and nodded eagerly. "Yes please!"

"No need for manners here, miss! Let your silliness flow!" He flourished his arms.

Penelope giggled in spit of herself as Fred lead her around the shop, naming things and explaining their uses or a silly story on how they were tested or invented along the way. When he was finished, he looked expectantly at Penelope.

"That's- This is- Wow!" She exclaimed, causing a few people to look at her. Fred grinned from ear-to-ear.

"Well, Penelope. What are you doing for the rest of the day, anyways?" He asked. Penelope bit her lip.

"Well… this is going to sound really dumb to you. I'm… Well I was planning on just walking around a few parks and taking some photos. I rarely get days off, but even then I like to find new things to take pictures of. It's really interesting actually, I me- I'm rambling again. Sorry." She squeezed her eyes shut. "Why do you ask?"

"Well… I was just wondering if you'd maybe like some company?" Fred asked unabashedly. This girl was interesting to him- a new species.

"Wha-? Don't you have the store? Or… Well. I mean." She stuttered.

"You know, I do have an assistant." He chuckled. "But, if you don't want me to come, I'm perfectly comfortable staying here."

"No! I never said I didn't want you to come. Er, I never said I did want you to come, either. Um. I guess… you could come if you liked. But it'll be really boring for you. I like to photograph rubbish like flowers or park benches or-"

"I'll go get my coat." Fred interrupted her, still grinning.

-

"So. This is what you do, then?" Fred cocked his head to one side as Penelope took a few shots of the bark of a tree. He really couldn't see the appeal in the bark, it was old and had moss growing on it, but she was the photographer.

"Mhm." Penelope answered, biting her lip and stepping away from the tree. "Well, I also work at the Daily Prophet as a photographer."

"Sounds interesting enough. I mean, it's not as amazing as my job, but nothing else really is." He teased. Penelope rolled her eyes and plopped herself down on the grass.

They had been at the park for nearly 2 hours now and the sun was starting to set. A cool night breeze was starting and Penelope shivered, pulling her fluorescent green pea coat tighter around herself. Fred sat himself next to her and looked at the camera in her hands.

"Have you ever let anyone take pictures of you?" He questioned. Penelope shook her head quickly.

"Oh goodness no! I hate being photographed. I'm much better behind the lens than in front of it."

"… Can I take a picture of you?" He raised an eyebrow at her and went to reach for the camera.

Penelope pulled it away abruptly, shaking her head. "No! I hate it when people take my picture, and this camera is _really_ expensive. I don't trust you with it! I wouldn't even trust my own child with it!"

"… You have a kid?"

"It's a figure of speech." She said in an annoyed fashion. He could be so annoyingly cheery sometimes.

Fred pouted jokingly and went to grab for the camera again. "Oh c'mon Penny! Pleaaaseee?" He aha'ed when she was too slow and he grabbed the camera, jumping up with it.

"FRED!" Penelope shrieked. "BE CAREFUL THAT CAMERA IS RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE AND IT BELONGS TO MY WORK!"

Fred laughed and began snapping pictures of the angry girl, and he got a decent amount of shots until she finally succeeded in yanking the camera out of his hands, glaring.

"That was not funny. You could've… well… just… ugh." She rubbed her temples and sat back down on the cold grass again, deciding she was going to ignore him from now on. Fred was still chuckling and he sat down next to her, staring in front of him and not bothering to talk to the girl at all.

Penelope felt slightly bad for losing her temper over something so silly. She cleared her throat and looked over at him.

"Er… I'm sorry for yelling at you." She managed to squeak out. Fred looked at her with an amused expression and let out a laugh.

"Penelope, it's fine. I'm not bothered." He patted her head and she screwed up her face into a pout.

They sat in silence for a while until Penelope let out a rather violent shiver from the cold. Fred glanced over at her and pulled off his coat silently, draping it over her shoulders.

"Look, Fred. That is definitely the cutest thing anyone's ever done for me, but aren't you going to freeze your butt off? I mean," She turned and faced him so she could feel his hands, "look at your hands! They feel like icicles! And your cheeks-" She moved her hands up, "they're freezing! You could catch a cold or something, couldn't you?" She took the jacket off and put it back over his shoulders.

Until then, Fred hadn't been able to get a word in and hadn't really wanted to. He was too preoccupied with looking down at Penelope's hand- seeing it, but not feeling it.

"Fred? You're actually _really_ cold now… I think maybe you should go home. Your lips are turning blue." Penelope's worried voice met his ears and he snapped out of his trance, standing up abruptly.

Penelope stood up as well with her camera in her hand. Fred looked down at her and grinned, even though his body was shivering and going into panic mode.

"Thanks for the day, I'll just-uh, apparate home." Fred said, amazed by how loudly his teeth were chattering. That was the problem with having no body sensations; you could burn yourself or catch hypothermia and not even notice it.

Penelope chewed on her lip and nodded curtly. "Er, thanks for coming. It was… nice." She felt incredibly awkward so she stepped back from him and began walking in the other direction.

Fred sighed and disappeared with a '_crack_'.

-

After that, they'd gone out every Thursday, doing something fun or something that Penelope had heard about through a friend, just anything. A few weeks after the first time they'd gone out, Fred and Penelope were rifling through a book bin in a small, dusty bookstore. It had been Penelope's idea, Fred wasn't really much of a reader, but he'd decided maybe it could be fun.

He was terribly wrong.

He spent most of the afternoon watching Penelope's legs wave about in the air as she dove head first into each bin. She'd even fallen into one at some point, which had made the trip very worthwhile for Fred as he'd doubled over in laughter.

When he'd finally helped her out, she punched him on the arm and stalked off to another corner in the bookstore. Fred finally found her hidden amongst a giant stack of romance novels- the cheesy ones you could find in checkout lines at the supermarket. She was browsing through them with wide eyes.

"You have got to be joking." Fred picked up a book and looked at it. Penelope jumped and stuck her hand on her hip.

"What? I like these books… They're a really wonderful escape and they're so romantic…"

Fred mimed barfing and tossed the book he was holding into one of the musty piles in the corner.

"Well, do you have a boyfriend then?" He batted his eyes jokingly. "Is he as fond of these books as you are? Do you act out the scenes?"

Penelope huffed. "I _do_ have a boyfriend. And no, we don't act them out. That's stupid."

Fred found he was a bit upset at this new bit of information, but decided to think nothing of it.

"Ooooh! Penny's in luuurve. What's his name, hmmmm?" He propped his chin on her shoulder from behind. Penelope giggled and pushed his head away.

"His name is Felix, he works with me. He's the head of the department of photography, actually." She blushed crimson and bit her lip.

"The _head of the department?_ Wow, Penelope, you're such a scarlet woman." He quipped playfully.

"A what?"

"A scarlet woman! Oh come on. You have no idea what that is?"

"Should I know?" Penelope leaned on the bookshelf behind her and cocked her head to one side.

"Yes! It's-" Unfortunately he never quite finished his sentence as the bookcase Penelope had been leaning on was slowly tipping backwards.

"Penny! PENNY!" Fred reached to grab her away from the falling bookshelf but it was no use. Penelope tumbled backwards into a big pile of books and a giant cloud of dust.

"Penny? Are… you okay?" Fred searched curiously amongst the books once the dust had settled. A tiny sneeze sounded at his left and he looked over to see a bright orange trainer peep through a hole in the pile.

Instead of rushing over to help her, Fred's sense of humour got the best of him and by the time Penelope had pulled herself out, he was practically crying on the floor with laughter.

"You think it's funny? Well this is even funnier." She stalked off, leaving Fred weak with laughter by the bookcase. When she got to the door she turned back and grinned.

"Have fun with the bookstore owner!" And she disappeared out the door.

"N-No! Wait up!" Fred tripped over his own feet and nearly went face first into the ground as he rushed out of the store.

-----


	3. hear

One day on their weekly Thursday outings, Penelope arrived looking quite run down

One day on their weekly Thursday outings, Penelope arrived looking quite run down. Her hair hadn't been combed, her outfit was completely monochromatic and she hadn't bothered to put on any make-up. Fred raised an eyebrow as they sat down at a little café.

"What's up, buttercup? You look normal today." He teased, but quickly realised now wasn't the time when Penelope shot him a withering glance.

"Uh… anything wrong?" He asked again.

"Well, if you must know," she let out a deep sigh, "Felix broke up with me."

Fred glanced around awkwardly and patted Penelope on the back, unsure of what to do in these situations.

"That's… terrible." '_Oh, Merlin. Please don't explain everything to me.'_

"Yeah. But I'd really rather not talk about it. It's kind of… touchy. I mean, I saw it coming, so I'm not as upset as I should be. But… Well it's just that I think he was cheating on me and I'd suspected it-"

Fred sort of tuned Penelope out and watched her talk, examining her for the first time without make-up. Her freckles stood out vividly on her face like his did and her skin was quite pale. Suddenly, he realized she'd stopped talking and was looking at him expectantly. Fred panicked inwardly and blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.

"Well you're, uh, better off without him!" He stated matter-of-factly.

Penelope seemed satisfied with this and propped her head on her hand, glancing down at the menu.

The waitress came and went, leaving them to fill the silence as they waited for their orders. For some odd reason, the silence was tense between the two today. Penelope, as usual, was oblivious to the tension and was instead nursing her ego quietly, not even bothering to pay attention to Fred.

Fortunately (or was it unfortunately?), someone Fred knew appeared in the café at that exact moment.

"Angelina!" Fred yelped as he recognized his ex-Quidditch mate entering the place a few feet. He motioned for her to come sit down, and Angelina's face lit up in a grin once she saw who was shouting at her. She sauntered over and pulled up a chair, casting an inquisitive look at Penelope.

"Fred! How're you? I've not seen you in yonks!" She noticeably faced away from Penelope. Fred was still grinning wildly and he began chatting with Angelina, completely forgetting about Angelina until the waitress came back with their drinks. Penelope thanked her and took a sip, then went back to staring dejectedly out the window.

"Bloody Hell! Angelina, this is Penelope, Penny, this is Angelina." Fred smiled apologetically at Penelope.

Penelope turned to Angelina and smiled kindly, opening her mouth to say something when Angelina cut in.

"Pleased to meet you." She said coolly, and then turned back to Fred.

They continued chatting amicably between each other (with Penelope entering her opinion to a non-responsive audience every once in awhile) for almost an hour until Penelope stood up.

"Er… I'm-ah. I'm going to leave. I have a bunch of work to catch up on. It was nice meeting you Angelina. I'll see you around, Fred." She ran a hand through her hair, nodded and then walked away.

Angelina raised an eyebrow and snorted.

"Who was that, anyway? Were you babysitting her or something?"

Fred rolled his eyes and then continued their conversation about whether or not the Chudley Cannons were due to win the Quidditch World Cup this year.

--

The two didn't see each other for quite a while after that encounter. Occasionally, Fred would pick up a copy of The Daily Prophet and spot her (still as hilarious) name under a photo, or Penelope would walk past his shop in Diagon Alley, but other than that they were completely cut off from each other.

Then, one day, they ran into each other as Fred was locking up shop.

"Penny! I haven't seen you in awhile." He grinned at the girl and she smiled cautiously back.

"It's really only been…" She frowned, calculating the amount of time in her head, "two weeks. Not too long."

"Oh, right. Two weeks. I guess it felt like longer." Fred replied.

Penelope nodded curtly, glancing around awkwardly.

"Uhm… So, how have you been?" She tried cheerily. Fred shrugged, a small grin tugging at his lips.

"You know, here and there. Upside down. Listen, this is a bit of a bonkers idea but I really feel like getting some ice cream, want to join me?"

Penelope's face broke into a giant grin and she nodded.

"I would _absolutely_ adore that, Fred."

Penelope skipped happily in front of him as they walked and he realized just how young she appeared to the public, especially with her bizarre choice of clothing. It was definitely not everyone's cup of tea, and not really that pretty anyways. For example, the outfit she was wearing today would not be appearing in fashion magazines any time soon. It consisted of a purple dress with puffy polka-dot crinoline and bright yellow tights, complete with her worn-in black boots. But he supposed it was all a part of her… 'charm'.

Penelope was like an ugly crocheted doyley your grandmother gave you. The colours were all wrong, it wasn't made very well, but you felt a strange pull towards it anyways.

When they finally reached the ice cream shop, they ordered and sat down.

"What have you been doing, anyhow?" Fred asked.

Penelope shrugged, licking absent-mindedly at her ice cream.

"You know, we never, _ever_, get anything warm. Why don't we ever go for coffee? Why is it always ice cream?" Penelope blurted out.

Fred blinked and then started laughing. "I-I… I have no idea! All right, next time I'll ask you for a coffee, not an ice cream. Sound good?"

Penelope nodded, beaming. She took a big bite of her ice cream and instantly regretted it.

"Nygh! My teef!" She flailed, as the nerve-endings in her front teeth screamed at her.

Fred could only laugh at this bizarre girl he's decided to become acquainted with as she threw her arms about and stamped her feet on the floor.

And then, a minute after, she smiled and went back to eating her ice cream like nothing had happened.

Fred snorted into his cone.

"What?" Penelope cocked her head to one side.

"You're mad."

--

Fred was not interested in falling for someone, and Penelope was definitely not searching for a boyfriend any time soon after her break-up. It was a perfect combination and it worked out perfectly.

Well, it did until Penelope decided to let Fred meet her other friends.

Marianna, Roxanne and Pete had known Penelope from a very young age. So when Fred introduced her to his Quidditch mates, she's decided he needed to meet her tight-knit circle.

They all settled on having tea at Penelope's flat.

Needless to say, it didn't work out so well. They were all very protective of Penelope and automatically assumed that any male in her life was only there to hurt her. They wouldn't let up with the non-stop questioning and sneaky insults and by the end of the night Fred was rather sore about it. They had been very prying and accusing.

He left Penelope's flat in bad spirits and left Penelope herself quite confused.

The next day she owl'ed him.

_Fred,_

_Sorry about my mates last night. They're a bit tetchy about new boys on account of- Well, anyways. I hope it didn't upset you too much. I've made it incredibly clear to them that we're merely friends and nothing more, so hopefully next time you see them you won't be regarded so spitefully._

_Right, I've got an assignment to take some photos at the Weird Sister's concert tomorrow… I was wondering, would you like to tag along? It's okay if you don't want to, honestly. It's just that concerts are always more fun with a friend._

_Love,_

_Penny._

Fred looked at the hyperactive, twittering owl Penelope had sent with the letter and snorted. He turned the piece of parchment over and scribbled a quick reply.

_What time?_

--

Fred had never been this close the stage during a concert. He was standing in front of the barricade, off to the side, completely in awe of the band. Penelope was of course running around, snapping photos like mad, but every once in a while she would come and stand beside him, grinning.

"I love your job!" Fred shouted, trying to be heard above the music.

"I know!" Penelope shouted back.

When the concert was over, Penelope and Fred were walking contentedly towards their flats. Fred, in a random chivalrous moment, had insisted on walking Penelope home. He was now regretting it slightly as it was freezing. Unfortunately, Penelope despised apparating and had therefore never bothered to take her test, so he couldn't suggest that either.

It was rather lucky that Fred had decided to walk her home, however, because as they were walking, they failed to notice the ominous looking shadow following them until it was too late.


	4. taste

Penelope felt someone clamp a hand over her mouth and she let out a small, muffled shriek. Fred looked over and his eyes widened. A nasty looking man had his hand covering Penelope's mouth and a knife at her throat.

"Gimme your money!" He growled, looking around shiftily. Despite the fact that Fred was terrified, he still let out a snort at how terribly clichéd it seemed. Then, Fred began to panic. He could hex the man, but then he might not be within his rights to use it around a muggle. He _did_ have money, but it would certainly be of no use to the muggle, as it was wizard money. Thinking quickly, and perhaps a little rashly, he lunged and caught the attacker by surprise.

Penelope broke away and watched as Fred tried to take on this large, bulky man. Finally, when Fred was heavily bleeding on the ground and Penelope couldn't take anymore, she remembered her wand. Quickly, she pulled it out and pointed it at the man's back.

"_Petrificus Totalus!"_ She shouted. The man's legs and arms snapped together and he fell back, stiff as a board.

She stood over him and shook her head.

"_Obliviate."_ She whispered softly and watched his eye's slide out of focus. Then she rushed over to Fred who seemed to feel fine, as he was standing up and brushing himself off.

Penelope gaped at him.

"What?"

"What!?" You're bleeding from… _everywhere! How are you still walking?"_

Fred stopped, his eyes widening and he mentally smacked himself.

"Uh… Ow! Agh, the agony!" He pretended to wince in pain and limp slightly.

"Right! You're coming to my flat. I _need_ to clean you up!" She took his arm and began walking faster to her apartment.

When they finally reached it (with many moans of protest from Fred) she rushed into her flat and sat Fred down on the couch. Then she ran to go get a face cloth and some antiseptic.

She returned and shooed her cat, Snickers, away from him. She then sat down and began trying to clean the cuts on his face and body.

"Ooooh. I wish I knew some decent first-aid spells! I'm rubbish at them. Do you know any?"

Fred nodded- years of testing products on him and his brother had readied him for any type of injury. He took out his wand and began fixing various cuts and scrapes, cleaning away the blood and such. However, his nose seemed a bit off-center as opposed to before, but he didn't fancy drinking any SkeleGro, so he didn't say anything.

The entire time Penelope was making tiny sympathetic noises and chewing the inside of her mouth. When Fred was done, she threw herself at him and hugged him.

"I'm sorry this happened! It's my fault. If maybe I'd taken my Apparition Test then I could've just apparated home and none of this would have happened and you wouldn't be sitting in front of me-" Penelope's voice suddenly became muffled and she realized it was because Fred had pulled her back and clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Are you quite finished?" He asked, amused. Penelope nodded.

Fred removed his hand and clasped her by the arms.

"Penny, I'm fine. I promise."

Penelope looked down and mumbled something, blushing.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing. S-Sorry." She looked at him through her eyelashes, still blushing.

Fred felt a sudden urge to kiss her, even though he knew he would only slightly feel it due to the spell not affecting his mouth, yet affecting his lips. Still, it felt very odd to not feel lips at all yet feel a tongue wriggling around. Truth be told, he found it unpleasant.

He decided in a split second once Penelope locked eyes with him and slowly (making sure he was kissing the right place, one time he'd accidentally shared a passionate snog with a girl's nose) leaned in to kiss her. She responded and fell limp in his arms.

After a mere few seconds, however, she pulled back and shot Fred a strange look. His eyes were still closed and he had a delayed reaction, having only _heard_ her pull away and not felt it.

"Fred?" She asked. "Are you all right?" She started panicking. All sorts of reasons for his unresponsive behaviour flew through her mind. Perhaps he didn't like her? Maybe she was a horrible kisser?

Fred nodded vigorously.

"You know, Fred, sometimes you're just not… fully there." Penelope chewed her lip and looked down at her fingertips. She looked up as a loud 'POP!' resonated around the apartment and was greeted by thin air.

Penelope's jaw dropped and she threw a pillow at the place Fred had been sitting, before collapsing angrily into her couch.

----

A few days later, a very nervous Fred knocked at Penelope's door. Her voice rang out.

"Who is it?"

Fred shifted uncomfortably.

"Fred?" he offered feebly.

"Oh." Penelope's jaunty mood disappeared immediately and she opened the door with a blank look upon her face.

"May I come in?" Fred ventured. Penelope simply stood aside.

Fred sat down on the couch, narrowly missing Snickers, and glanced up at Penelope, who was standing just to the side of him and looking at him, her arms crossed.

"Well?" she asked. Fred sighed.

"Penny, I'm sorry for just… disappearing that night. Thing is, I-" He frowned. This was the part he'd always had trouble with. Most of the time in relationships with girls he'd merely told them it wasn't working out and avoided them for a week or two, but he genuinely liked Penelope.

But how do you tell someone you can't feel?

"What? You don't like me that way? You think I'm too young for you? That I'm too eccentric? What is it, Fred?" She waved her arms around frantically, looking near tears.

"Actually, I," he sucked in a deep breath, "I can't feel."

Penelope stared at him, momentarily stunned, and then burst out into hollow, hurt laughter.

"That's rich, Fred. I've heard lots of excuses, but this one definitely takes the cake. You expect me to believe that you can't feel anything and that's why you won't kiss me, or you won't touch me? Brilliant." She clapped sarcastically, and Fred momentarily wondered where the shy, rambling girl he'd known disappeared to.

He stood up and took her hands.

"Penelope, I'm not kidding." He looked at her in her eyes and she gasped.

"Y-You're… You're not lying to me, are you?" She dropped his hands and rubbed her arms, looking down at the ground.

"I-I don't know what to say, Fred. What are you supposed to say? 'I'm sorry'? I mean, I am sorry, so I could say that, but it's also just… I mean…" She pulled frustratedly at her hair. "This is just lovely, I actually start to fall for a guy again and it turns out that he can't feel. Bloody fucking wonderful," she snapped, and Fred raised an eyebrow.

"You know, I wasn't really aware you could curse." He chuckled, but was silenced by a look from her.

"Okay, so this explains a lot, like that time you dropped a glass on your toe and didn't flinch. Or that time we were at the restaurant and you accidentally stabbed yourself with a fork. But, Merlin! Why didn't you tell me?" She looked at him, hurt apparent in her eyes.

"I don't know, Penny! How are you supposed to tell someone that? It doesn't exactly come up in every day conversation, does it? 'Oh, by the way, I haven't been able to feel anything on my body since I was five!'" He said exasperatedly.

Penelope sat down on her sofa and placed her head in her hands, closing her eyes.

"All right, so let's get this straight." She looked up, and he sat down next to her. She turned to face him. "You cannot feel anything on- on the outside of your body? _At all_?" She whispered the last part and he shook his head.

"So you can't feel it if I do this." She flicked his nose. He shook his head.

"This?" She pinched his arm. Again, he shook his head.

Finally, she leaned forward so their noses were millimetres apart and whispered: "This?" before kissing him softly. Fred pulled away and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Penelope, you need to stop doing that." He whispered through gritted teeth.

"Why?" She cocked her head to one side.

"Because it's getting harder and harder for me to hold myself back!" He collapsed backwards on the couch and covered his face with his hands. Penelope looked at him and tucked her legs underneath her.

"Look, Fred, this really isn't as complicated as you think," she began, "you like me, yeah?"

Fred nodded.

"Right, well, I like you, so there we go! We're a couple now! Amazing how simple that was." She propped her head on his shoulder and Fred stared at her incredulously.

"What? It's- Are you serious? You do realize what you're getting yourself into, right?" He blinked, and she smiled, nodding. Fred stared at her, his mouth agape.

"What?" Penelope looked up at him and nuzzled herself closer towards his body.

"You're amazing. You're bloody amazing." He chuckled.


	5. smell

Fred woke up the next morning and grinned at the tuft of red hair poking out under the duvet. They hadn't done anything but fall asleep together (for obvious reasons), yet Fred felt closer to her than ever.

Penelope opened her eyes slowly, momentarily forgetting that Fred was there. It gave her such a big shock when she noticed him that she jumped and fell off of her bed.

This sent Fred into riots of laughter.

Penelope glared at him from her position on the floor, rubbing her bottom as she crawled back into her bed.

"Oi! Shut it!" She whacked him and then grinned.

"You know," she began, "I could duff you up, and you wouldn't feel a thing!"

Fred raised an eyebrow at her.

"You're bonkers." He chuckled to him self, looking around the room. It was decorated with dozens and dozens of photographs plastered all over the walls just like the rest of her flat. The décor screamed Penelope's name, especially the bed which happened to be big and red and shaped like a race car. It astounded Fred every time he looked at it.

"Penny?"

"Mm?" She'd been snuggling under the duvet where it was warm when he asked her and she poked her head back out.

"Why is your bed-?"

"Shaped like a racecar? I found it in an alley and fell in love. Don't worry, though," she added hastily after seeing Fred cringe, "I cleaned it with magic, and of course, bought a new mattress."

"Ah, makes sense." Fred nodded, looking at the little plastic wheel at the foot of the bed, snorting. "I bet it's interesting to shag in."

Penelope's ears reddened and she dove under the duvet.

"I wouldn't know," she mumbled.

"Penny! You're still virginal and pure, I'm guessing?" Fred looked highly amused, but not surprised in the slightest. Penelope threw a pillow at his face.

"I suppose you aren't?" she asked snootily, sitting up and crossing her arms.

"Well I obviously _am_ since I can't _feel_ and all, but I have an excuse-" he paused to wave a finger at her, "you don't."

Penelope blushed even deeper.

"So… so you can't feel anything… er… down there?" she squeaked. Fred burst into laughter.

"I'm sorry, Penny, what's 'down there'? You'll have to be more specific," he teased. He really only wanted to see if she'd actually use the word. Penelope's face twisted into a frown.

"On your… you know!" she pleaded. Fred continued to stare at her as if he didn't understand.

"I 'know' what?"

"Your… penis," she squeaked, covering her face with her hands afterwards.

"Penelope! Such vulgar language!" Fred pretended to be shocked and received another pillow to his face.

"In all seriousness, no, Penny, I cannot." He frowned. It was moments like these, when he thought about what not being able to feel meant, that he felt the most lost.

Penelope sense the change in mood and moved towards him, wrapping her arms around him and leaning her head on his shoulder. He, in return, leaned his head on top of hers.

"I'm sure one day you'll be able to feel again," she whispered. Fred sighed, looking at Penelope's arms and knowing there would be warmth coming from them.

"I used to hope for that every morning when I woke up, you know," Fred murmured quietly after a while. "I thought that maybe I would wake up one morning and it would all be a dream." He sighed, pulling Penelope away.

"Eventually, I stopped wanting to wake up. It's hard investing everything in the future. Sometimes I wonder if I'll… if I'll die without ever feeling anything again."

Penelope, an overly-emotional girl, blinked back tears welling up in her eyes.

"H-How did it even happen?" she asked timidly.

"A charm back-fired on a potion we were experimenting with," Fred said off-handedly.

"D'you… d'you remember how anything felt? Like from before, I mean? I'm sorry if I'm asking so many questions! I'm just… curious," she stammered.

"It's fine." Fred smiled, his eyes crinkling. "Well, I do remember what my mum hugging me felt like. I remember the grass by our house… I remember the way my bed linens felt… But I was so young; I don't really remember much other than that."

Penelope chewed her fingernail nervously.

"It's just… this is so… bizarre. I-I…" she trailed off, still chewing. Fred frowned, staring at her.

"Penelope, if you're-" he stopped, as if it was paining him to say this, "if you're having second thoughts then I'll understand."

Penelope's eyes shot up to him and widened to the size of dinner plates.

"N-No! Not at all! It's- it's just," she sighed. "It's going to take me a while to get used to this, Fred."

Fred let out a sigh of relief and grinned widely.

"Do you cook?" he asked after a long lapse in the conversation. Penelope smirked.

"I sort of cook? Do you?"

"As a matter of fact…" he laughed, then grabbed Penelope and threw her over his shoulder, walking towards the kitchen.

"Time for your first cooking lesson!" he quipped gleefully amid Penelope's loud squeals.

---

Their relationship grew and thrived. Eventually it had been six months since the two had started dating and the holidays were fast approaching. Penelope was spending Christmas Day and Eve with her parents, but, fortunately for her, the Weasley's were having a rather large supper before Christmas Eve anyway.

So there she was, clad in a simple green dress, bright red tights and some black trainers (subdued for her), standing outside of the door to 'The Burrow' as she had heard Fred call it.

"Fred? Are you sure- I mean- I don't want to intrude-? Perhaps we could just- Or maybe I could-" she rambled on for hours until Fred opened the door and shoved her into the house. Penelope squeaked and dashed behind him like a scared mouse as Mrs. Weasley walked into the front hall.

"Fred! Darling! You're here! You're one of the first to arrive. George and Romilda are already here, and so are Charlie and Adam." She looked around him, her face falling.

"Now, uhm. Where is this 'Penelope' you've told me about? Is she not coming? Oh Fred, you two didn't split did you?" She placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and Fred laughed.

"No! She's right here." He moved aside as he said this and Penelope smiled shyly at Mrs. Weasley, who had a rather shocked look on her face. Penelope had toned her hair down for this occasion (it was now a deep, blood red) and her make-up was almost non-existant.

Fred snorted at the mental image of his mother seeing her when she was dressed 'normally'.

"Well! Aren't you a pretty little thing? Quite small though, you'll need some good food in you I expect. Merlin knows Fred can't feed himself, let alone another person. But we've heard so much about you!" She smiled warmly.

"Fred!" Charlie cried, patting his younger brother on the shoulder as he walked into the hallway. "I thought I heard you laughing. Merlin! Who's this?" Charlie looked at Penelope.

"H-Hi, I'm Penelope… Well Fred calls me Penny, and- er, so does everyone else. Actually I only ever go by Penelope for professional things and- heh. Stop talking Penelope," she blurted out and then smacked her forehead.

"I'm Charlie," he turned to Fred, slapping him on the back and leaning in to whisper, "Good job, mate. She's adorable. Merlin knows how you got her," he said, then walked back into the living room followed closely by Mrs. Weasley.

Fred took Penelope's hand and led her into the sitting room, greeting everyone and introducing Penelope (he thought it might be a better idea if he did it after witnessing her introducing herself to Charlie). They all smiled at her and said their 'hello's but soon Penelope was lost in a blur of people.

She'd never been good in social situations and she felt herself shrinking into the wallpaper. You'd think someone with such a bright appearance would stand out more, but she knew how to blend in from years of experience.

Finally, when everyone was fed and they were all in the sitting room, sipping hot cocoa, someone began talking to Penelope.

She was sitting on the couch next to Fred, her legs tucked under her, holding a mug and sipping delicately when Fred's father (who was sitting next to her in an armchair that looked rather squishy and threadbare) spoke to her.

"And how are you, Penny?" he asked, smiling kindly at the girl.

Penelope blinked, almost shocked he was talking to her.

"Wha- I mean, fine," she said timidly.

"I hear that you do photography, do you do mugggle photography as well? Have you had a chance to compare it?"

Now this was something that Penelope knew. Excited, she sat up and leaned over the armrest towards Arthur.

"Ooh! Yes, I have! I find the only real difference between the two is the type of film and the length of exposure. Wizard cameras capture about 2-3 seconds of the moment and take a bit of the emotions and the character of the person at the time- muggle cameras just use light to put it on paper!"

Arthur look positively ecstatic.

"So- so if I-Light on paper you say? So if I shone light on paper… that would be a muggle photo?"

Penelope giggled and shook her head.

"I'm afraid it's a bit more complicated than that, Mr. Weasley."

Penelope spent the rest of the night chatting with Mr. Weasley and when Fred finally apparated them back to her flat, she dozed off in her bed saying to him: "I quite like your father, he's very interesting."

---

Penelope was a restless sleeper and would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to fall back asleep for hours. When this happened, she liked to watch Fred sleeping, finding that it comforted her.

One night, when she was doing just this, she realized, that if she was completely silent, she could poke him and he wouldn't wake.

Finding this quite hysterical, she giggled softly and then poked his belly button.

"Ow," Fred groaned.

Penelope toppled backwards off of his bed and then scrambled back into it.

"Fred! Fred? Wake up! Wake up!" she shouted. Fred's eyes fluttered open and he stared at her groggily.

"Whaaat? Penny, it's three am and I have to work tomorrow."

"Fred! Y-You said ow!"

"… What in Merlin's sagging left testicle are you talking about? Did you get into our Babbling Bubble Biscuits?"

"Fred! I just poked you in the stomach and you said 'ow'! You felt something!" Penelope looked excited, a direct contrast to Fred's skeptical expression.

"Penny, love. I think maybe you imagined this," he said softly.

"Fred! I did not! I heard you say it! Right as I poked you, even!"

"Coincidence, maybe? I could've been dreaming."

"I don't understand you. You've wanted to feel again since you stopped feeling, and when I tell you that maybe you've regained a bit of your sense of touch, you deny it."

"Penny! I have wished too long and too hard for that, yet have come to terms with the fact that this is me! I've been let down too many times, all right?" Fred snapped, sitting up abruptly. Penelope flinched and looked down.

After a long pause, she spoke: "I just- I want this for you so bad," she whispered, a tear splashing on the bedspread. Fred groaned and pulled her tight into a hug.

"I know, Penny. I know."

---

However, Penelope dwelled on it for quite a while after. She would even stay up, wait until she knew Fred was sleeping and then attempt to get the same reaction from him.

A week after the incident, Fred was sitting in the living room of her flat while Penelope was making tea in her kitchen.

"You know, Penny, your flat has a distinct smell," Fred piped up from his spot on the couch. Snickers purred contentedly on his lap.

"Oh?" Penelope asked as she brought two cups of tea into the sitting room and sat down. "And what does it smell like? And I see that Snickers has finally taken a liking to you."

"Thanks, and it must be my irresistible charm," Fred said as she passed him his cup. "Anyway, I think it smells like… cat, toothpaste and… lavender."

Penelope sniffed the air experimentally.

"Really? Maybe I don't smell it because it's my flat." She took a sip of her tea and pulled a face. "Needs more sugar," she commented and then dumped a load of it into her cup, stirring it.

"You know," she began, "I read somewhere that smell is the strongest tie to our memories. Ooh! You know what else I read?" She was getting excited now as she sat up on her knees, putting her mug down on the table and turning to face him. "I heard that when you lose one of your senses, the others become more heightened! So… can you hear much netter? Oh my Merlin, can you see in the dark? Why did I never ask you this before!?"

Fred cringed.

"I dunno if I can hear better, but you are most definitely yelling right now, love."

Penelope settled back down and looked at him curiously.

"What?" he asked after a moment's pause.

"Nothing! I just… you seem so much calmer than I thought you used to be, is all." Penelope leaned into him as she said this, curling her legs into her stomach.

"Well, that's generally the stereotype I acquire, what with the flaming red hair and running a prank shop. But I wouldn't talk, Penny." He grinned.

"What? What'd I say?"

"Oh, really? Miss Chatterbox! You weren't this vocal when I first met you." He poked her in what he hoped was a light manner. When she didn't look as if she was in pain, he attacked her stomach, tickling. Penelope fell backwards and began convulsing with laughter.

"S-Stop! Fred! This isn't f-f-f-fair!" she whined, tears coming to her eyes from laughing too much.

Eventually Fred stopped, still pinning her down by her shoulders on the couch.

"Say I'm the most attractive and intelligent, not to mention hilarious person you've ever met."

Penelope raised an eyebrow.

"You're the most attractive, intelligent, and hilarious person I've ever met," she quipped.

"Why thank you, I knew that already but it's nice to hear it from others." Fred grinned, moving off of her.

"Freed! Get off!" Penelope squirmed underneath him.

"Why should I?" he asked, smirking.

"B-but you- You said you'd move if I-"

"Ah, ah, ah! I never said anything! You merely assumed!"

Penelope opened her mouth to respond and then closed it.

"Bollocks," she pouted. Fred snorted and kissed her forehead. He went to pull back when he was surprised to find Penelope's hands on the back of his head, pushing his lips to hers.

Snogging wasn't something he really had an opinion on (he could still feel on the inside of his mouth, after all), he definitely didn't mind it, but Penelope enjoyed it more than him.

Penelope's hands were running up and down Fred's back- out of habit. Eventually she knew she would have to pull away for fear of boring him, and she did- albeit reluctantly- after a few minutes.

Fred moved off of her and sat back down, putting his head in his hands.

"What?" Penelope asked timidly.


	6. feel

"What?" Penelope asked again, pulling his hands away from his face. Fred looked up at her.

"'What'? Penelope, why in Merlin's name are you still with me?" Fred asked quietly. Penelope's eyes widened.

"Fred what are you talking about? Are you feeling all right? Maybe you should lie down. I could-"

"Penelope, I can't be making you happy. I can't do everything a normal bloke can. I-I can't kiss you, I can't touch you the way you'd like to be touched, I can't hold you like you want to be held. I… I can't do anything I'm supposed to do." Fred put his head in his hands again.

Penelope looked aghast as she fumbled to comfort him.

"Fred! Oh, Fred! Why would you even think that? Those things aren't important to me! I'm with you for you!" she said quickly. Fred stood up, turning to look at Penelope.

"Penny… Penelope, I've been thinking," he began with a pained look on his face.

"Fred, don't do this," Penelope pleaded quietly from her spot on the couch, staring at her socks instead of his face.

"I-I think you deserve more than I can give you. I think we should… I think we should…" he gulped. "I think we should break-up."

Penelope shook her head, placing her hands over her ears.

"Don't be ridiculous. I deserve you!" She stood up as he began to walk towards the door and grabbed his arm.

"Don't you dare, Fred Weasley! Don't you dare look at me with that amused expression! You don't get to decide how I feel," she snapped at him. He gently took his arm out of her grasp.

"No, but I can decide how I feel. Penelope, you'll thank me fore this later," he replied softly, opening her front door.

"You can't leave!" Penelope pleaded desperately. "You can't leave me!"

Fred stopped in the doorway and looked back at Penelope who had balled her hands into tiny fists and had tears welling in her eyes.

"Why not?"

"B-Because… I love you! That's why!"

Fred's breath caught in his throat and he looked away, squeezing his eyes shut tightly.

"Bye, Penelope," Fred murmured as he closed the door and walked away.

"Because I love you," she whispered again before breaking into nerve-wracking sobs, sinking to her floor.

A few weeks later, Ginny knocked on the door to Fred's flat with her foot, balancing a box in her hands.

"Open up you git!" she yelled angrily. Fred opened the door and took the box that was violently shoved into his arms, stumbling backwards slightly.

"Nice to see you too, darling sister," Fred chuckled. Ginny rolled her eyes at him and walked in.

"I got your things, in case you didn't notice," she snapped, turning to him and crossing her arms. Fred placed the box down on his coffee table and shuffled through it.

"Ginevera, you seem perturbed, what ever is the matter?" he teased, looking at his glaring sister.

"I'm just angry I've got such a great, bit idiot who wouldn't know a good thing if it bloody-well bit him on the arse," she snapped venomously.

"Really, you should stop with the compliments or my ego will grow massive," he replied flatly, beginning to take things out of the box.

"She loves you, Fred! I had to pry this box away from her. She was crying so much I'm surprised her apartment isn't flooded!"

Fred's facial expression went stony and he rolled his eyes. The box was finally empty but for one thing- an envelope. Fred picked it up (oblivious to Ginny's ranting) and opened it, pulling a thick group of photos out.

His heart panged as he recognized them as the photos he'd taken the first time they'd gone out. Penelope looked ridiculous in most of them- she was pouting or reaching for the camera lens most of the time- but in a few she looked breath-taking and Fred stared at her, rubbing his thumb across the photo softly.

His hand began to tingle and Fred hardly noticed it until he realized that he could feel the filmy texture of the photo beneath his fingers. He jumped up and threw the photos across the floor.

"Merlin's sagging left- Ginny! Give me your hand!" Fred grabbed at her and she spluttered.

"What? What!" she yelled, looking at Fred incredulously. Fred squeezed her hand and then felt the cloth of his shirt. Then he started running around his sitting room, his hand running over everything.

"FRED! WILL YOU PLEASE TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON!" Ginny yelled and Fred ran back over to her.

"Gin! Gin, I can feel in my right hand! I can feel things!"

Ginny's eyes widened and she squealed loudly, hugging him.

"Fred! This is fantastic! Wait'll mum finds out! C'mon!" she yelped.

"Wait, wait! I need to go see someone first!" Fred pulled away from his sister and pulled out his wand, disapparating.

What a fright poor little Penelope received when Fred apparated into her flat. She'd been curled up on her couch, tears streaks on her cheeks, petting her cat. Needless to say, she was quite a sight.

She hadn't been to work in a week and even her hair seemed less bright than usual. She'd been wearing the same thing (a pair of cotton shorts and one of Fred's old shirts) and her friends were beginning to get worried.

So of course she screamed loudly when he apparated into her flat.

"Penny! Penny!" Fred stammered breathlessly, rushing over to her and pulling her up off the couch.

"Wha- Wha-" Penelope barely had time to splutter before he held out his hand in front of her face.

"Pinch it!" He looked excited and Penelope stared at him, a bit frightened-looking.

"Fred, really… this is-"

"Penelope! Just pinch it!"

Penelope sighed and pinched his hand.

"Ow!" Fred frowned, his hand smarting. "Merlin that actually does hurt."

"Fred, that entirely pointless- Wait," she stopped, her eyes widening. "Can you- Did you just- Fred!"

"In my right hand! Isn't this amazing? It's all because of you. It's all you…" He reached forward and pulled her into a hug.

"What? How?" Penelope spluttered. Fred held her at arm's length.

"I-I was looking at those photos I took of you and thinking about how much I missed you and how much I wished I could feel so we could be together and while I was doing that my hand began to tingle- the hand that was holding the photo- and then bam! I could feel in it." He stroked her cheek.

"Merlin your skin is soft… and your hair…" he trailed off as his hand began to trace the contours of his body. He wanted his fingertips to memorize how she felt and never forget it.

Penelope pulled away from him.

"Fred, does this mean- I mean, are you going to stay? With me, that is, I mean, stay with me now? Are you?" she stammered.

Fred nodded, and Penelope burst into tears, hugging him to herself.

"I'm sorry I ran out, I should've listened to your reason. Your love is more than enough reason to stay. I-I love you too," Fred stuttered quietly, silent tears streaming down his face.

"I love you too," Penelope sobbed back, clinging to him.

Fred's sense of touch came back gradually. It would come and go in certain places, eventually getting stronger and stronger as time went by.

After a while he regained his sense of touch entirely except for one tiny area on the nape of his neck which served as a reminder of what he used to be.

Penelope stayed with Fred for a little while longer after that, until she eventually grew away from him. The split was amicable and they both agreed to stay friends.

Later on, when Fred married, he would always remember Penelope as the girl who had not only helped him feel, but who had also helped him learn to love.


	7. update!

I've put up the first sequel to this story, entitled feel. I'd love if you all took a gander at it!

Cheers!


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